Handcuff



Aug. 1, 1950 A. J. HOWE HANDCUFF Filed Aug. 5, 1947 m m m m Patented Aug. 1, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HANDCUFF Alfred J. Howe, Oakland, Calif., assignor of onehalf to Samuel It. Ncider, San Francisco, Calif.

Application August 5, 1947, Serial No. 766,178

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in handcuiTs and provides a new, rapid acting handcufi which is automatic in action, the handcuff closing and locking automatically when the open handcuif is advanced over the Wrist of a person, the automatic action being due to spring action set up by contact with the wrist with a trigger, a touch of the trigger causing the handcuff to close and look, closely adjusted on the wrist.

The handcufi can be folded in when in open position to guard the trigger, and when it is to be used the two arms of the handculf are merely swung out ready for instant action. This is unlike conventional handcuifs which require manual closing of the handcufi about a wrist.

The objects and advantages of the invention are as follows:

First, to provide a handcuif which automatically closes about the wrist of a person when advanced over the wrist.

Second, to provide a handcuff as outlined which will automatically lock in adjusted position over a wrist.

Third, to provide a handcufi as outlined with a trigger and spring-actuated arms to close together when the trigger is touched.

Fourth, to provide a handcuff as outlined which can be folded into trigger-guarding position and to function as a grip for a nipper cufi formed at the opposite end from the automatic or retractile cuff.

Fifth, to provide a handcuif as outlined which is relatively simple in construction and arrangement, and positive in action.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which? Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the invention with part of the cover plate removed, and shown in open position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the invention in closed and locked position and with a portion of the cover plate removed.

The invention consists of a retractile cuff l which is integral with a conventional stock H and nipper cuff 12, the nippercuff being of conventional construction and including a rigid arcuate member l3 and closure member I4 having ratchet teeth [5 which cooperate with aratchet not shown, but formed at the other end of the plunger l6 which is manually retractable by means of the pin H.

The retractile cuff includes a guard body Hi to receive the link 59 of the ratchet arm which link is pivoted at 20 and has the ratchet link 2| pivoted thereto at 22, the ratchetlink having "'J 41 and cooperating with the pinion 30 which teeth 23 formed in the exterior surface and having a spring-urged plunger 24 at the pivot end cooperating with flats 25 formed on the end of the link It! to releasably hold the ratchet link respectively in the open position shown in Fig. 1, and to a folded' position with the ratchet end against the pivot end of the link [9.

The link [9 terminates at its pivotal support end in a finger 26 forming a part of the trigger release mechanism.

The lock arm 21 is of the conventional type but is provided with an improved locking system in which a pawl 28 is spring pressed by the leaf sprin 29, the pawl being arranged to form a positive abutment against movement of the pinion 30 in one direction and being releasable by means of a key (not shown) operating through the key hole 3|, the pawl 28 being formed of a series of pawl members as indicated at 28 and 28" and with the rearward ends being dissimilarly shaped as indicated at 29 and 29' so that a special type of key is required for opening the cuff, and in which the projections on the key must vary in length to suit the various pawl plate forms. This lock arm is pivoted to the other end l8 of the guard as indicated at 32.

The trigger release mechanism consists of a trigger 33 which is pivoted in the guard at 34; a

plunger housing 35 which is pivoted in the guard at 36 and in which a plunger 31 is slidably mounted as indicated at 38 and spring urged outwardly as indicated at 39, this plunger normally urging against the surface 40 to retain the link [9 in the retracted position shown in Fig. 1, and having a riser portion 4| for cooperation with the trigger 33, and pressing against the finger 26 as indicated at 42 after having been depressed by the trigger to snap the cuff closed. A cover plate 43 forms the other wall of the guard for the operating mechanism.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The retractile arms may be folded in to form a grip for the nipper cuff in the conventional manner. At any time, the links 21 and 2| may be manually moved to the position shown in Fig. 1. If the cuff is advanced so that an object enters between the ends 44 and 45 and so that the trigger 33 touches theobject, the trigger is depressed to the position shown in Fig. 2, pressing on the projection 4| and thereby depressing the plunger and simultaneously the finger 26 forcing the finger down and then acting on the face 46 as indicated in Fig. 2, "forcing the links l9 and 2| around with the ratchet and entering the space ratchets on the multiple pawl 28, the spring 39 acting on the finger 26 to force the ratchet into the passage 4'! until the cuff closely encircles the object; the action being instantaneous and the cuff locking positively. To release the cuiT, a key of suitable shape operated in the key slot 3! to depress the rearward portions of the pawl plates against the urgence of the spring 48 to free the pawl from the pinion. The ratchet link 23 can then be withdrawn.

It will be noted that a leaf spring 69 urging against a flat 50 holds this look arm open as shown in Fig. l and presses against another flat 5! to hold the arm in inwardly folded position, this lock arm being relieved as indicated at 52 for the end 53 of the cover plate 43, the thickness of the lock arm beyond the guard being equal to the thickness of the guard including cover plate.

It will also be noted that when the plunger 3'! is depressed, it presses the lockin plunger Hi to lock the nipper cuff in closed position; thus depression of the trigger simultaneously locks both cuffs.

I claim:

1. A handcuif comprising; a retractable cuff including a guard, a pair of cuff members, each member being hinged at one of its ends in said guard and each member having locking means at the other of its ends and being manually movable to open position each of said locking means cooperating one with the other when the pair of cufi members is in closed position to lock said memhens in such position, and a pring cooperating between said guard and one of said cud members for releasably maintaining said one of said cuff members in open position; a plunger, and spring urging means therefor, pivoted at one of its ends in said guard with the other of its ends depressable and cooperating with the hinged end of the other cuff member to releasably maintain the other cuif member in open position, and when depressed uring said other cuff member to close to lock within the one cuff member, and a trigger pivoted in said guard and cooperative with said plunger for depressing said plunger.

2. A retractile handcuff including an elongated guard member, a first cuff member having locking means at one end and having the other end pivoted in one end of said guard; a second cufi member having one end pivoted substantially centrally of the length of said guard and having locking means at the other end, each of said locking means cooperating one with the other when the pair of cuff members is in closed position to lock said members in such position and a spring cooperating between said guard and said first cuff member for releasably maintaining said first cuff member in an open position; actuating means comprising a plunger and spring urging means therefor having one end pivotally mount ed in said guard and with the other end depressable and cooperating with one portion of the pivotal end of the second cufi member to maintain the second cult member in open position when the actuating means is in an undepressed position, and cooperating with a second position of the pivotal end of the second cuff member to close the second member to lock with the first cufif member when the actuatin means is depressed, and a trigger pivoted to said guard and cooperative with said actuating means for depressing the actuating means, and located between the pivotal ends of the first and second cuff members.

3. A retractil'e handcufi having a guard, a locking arm having one end pivotally mounted in one end of said guard and having locking means at the other end, and spring means cooperating between said guard and said one end for leasably maintainin the locking arm in open position, and a ratchet arm having one end pivotally mounted adjacent the longitudinal center of said guard and having cooperative locking means at the other end; a trigger pivotally supported by said guard and located between the pivotal ends of said locking and ratchet arms, and actuating means mounted in said guard in cooperative relation to said trigger and cooperative with the pivotal end of said ratchet arm to normally releasably hold said ratchet arm in open position, and to close said ratchet arm to lock with said locking arm when the actuating means is depressed by said trigger.

4. A structure as defined in claim 3; said actuating means including a housing pivotally mounted in said guard, and a spring urged plunger operatin therein and urging against the pivoted end of said ratchet arm to maintain the arm in open position, and urging against a projection on the arm following depression of the trigger to close the ratchet arm to lock in the locking arm.

5. A retractile handcuff comprising; a guard, locking arm having one end pivoted in one end of said guard and having a ratchet arm receiving and locking means at the other end and spring means cooperating between said guard and said locking arm for releasably maintaining said locking arm in open position; a ratchet arm comprising two cuff members hinged together and including spring means cooperating between the two members to releasably retain them selectively in extended and folded positions, and with the assembly of the two cuff members pivoted at one end substantially centrally of the length of said guard and with the other end comprising a ratchet member for cooperation with said locking means, a spring housing transversely pivoted in said guard and including a spring-urged plunger slidable therein and cooperating with the pivotal end of said ratchet arm in one position for releasably maintaining said ratchet arm in open position and a second position for urging said ratchet arm to closed position, and depressable means supported by said guard and cooperative with said plunger for depressing said spring-urged plunger laterally from said one position to said second position to urge said ratchet arm to close and look within said locking means.

6. A structure as defined in claim 5; a finger projecting from the pivotal end of said ratchet arm, said depressable means comprising a trigger pivot/ed at one of its ends in said guard, said spring urged plunger urging on the pivoted end of said ratchet arm to releasably maintain the arm in open position and being depressable by said trigger to act on said finger to close said ratchet arm when the plunger is transversely depressed by said trigger.

'7. In a handcuff having a channel shaped guard and a pair of cuff members each member having one of its ends pivoted therein in spaced relation, and a finger member projecting from the pivotal end of one of said cuff members below the pivotal point; actuating means comprising, a sleeve member having a plunger slidable therein and a compression spring within said sleeve for urg projection of said plunger; said sleeve member being transversely pivoted at one of its ends within said guard and the plunger cooperating in one selective position with said pivotal end above said 5 6 finger for maintaining said one of said out! mem- REFERENCES CITED hers in open position, and a second selective poslon with said fi g to urge said one of said ug The foliowing references are of record in the members to closed position and a, trigger pivoted file'fif thls Patent: in said guardin cooperative relation to said ac- 5 tuating means for pivoting said actuatin means UNITED STATES PATENTS from the firsfi mentioned selective position to the Number Name Date 59 01161 mentioned selective 13081111011, whereby, 686,626 n- Nam 12 90 when the trigger is struck to depress the actuating 1,634114 Murphy J 28, 1927 means the actuating means will snap the said one 10 1,890,748 Pratt 13m 13, 1932 of said cufi members to closed position.

ALFRED J. HOWE. 

